Even My Dad Sometimes
by wurtzreaction16
Summary: Percy finds himself in a hard time. He acts to be strong but inside is broken. AU,Based on Ed Sheeran's song


"It's all right to cry,

Even my Dad does sometimes"

As a human you don't know about value of something important until you lose it. In the end, all that's left is regret. Life seems to be a too well coordinated play, events fall into line in a way that they never were supposed to. Sometimes one has to wonder what's the purpose, the motivation that one needs to continue in this struggle.

Percy finds himself facing this question as rain pours over him. The sky rumbles with thunder as if paying a last tribute to her. He silently prays to god as the coffin is carefully lowered into the ground. To him, the whole world seems to be in black and white, no hope remains, he is internally broken and wants to go in a corner and cry. But he does not let his feelings onto his face; he puts on a grim face and greets all people as they one by one leave the funeral.

He waits until all but his family is left. He feels a light pat on his shoulder. He turns around and is immediately engulfed in a bone crushing hug. He controls his feelings as he finds himself pressed against the person's shoulder, she rubs circle on his back as he takes deep breaths.

"It's going to be alright" Piper mutters gently, kissing his cheek.

He decides he cannot live without her.

* * *

"It's alright to die

'Cause deaths the only thing you haven't tried

Just for tonight, hold on"

Hours after funeral, he finds himself all alone in his home holding a knife and imagining the impact this decision might have on his world. He finds himself all alone for the first time, even at Jason's death she was with him. He is so lost in his thoughts that he does not realises until it's almost the 100th doorbell that someone is at the door. He decides to delay his decision for some time, and walks out to meet potentially his last visitor.

He is greeted by a visibly distraught looking Piper, her hair tied down into a bandana and her kaleidoscopic eyes red with crying. She wears a sweater that Percy is suspicious once belonged to Jason and blue jeans. She has a flower in her hair, and he recognises it. It's Iris-the symbol of hope.

Percy offers her a sad smile, as his eyes meet hers, but he is immediately pushed away from the doorway. She rushes inside to his bedroom and opens up his messy closet finding all his clothes that she could and throwing them onto his bed. Percy stands still and watches until their eyes meet again.

"You're coming with me," She says, her voice broken from crying.

* * *

"It's all right to shake,

Even my hand does sometime"

Her Dad's mansion is huge, much more luxurious and costly than anything Percy and Annabeth could have afforded. "We need to get away from this state, we are going to LA" Piper had told him. Apparently she knew what was going through Percy's mind and tried to minimize the damage by a change of surroundings. Percy settled down in his new room, he was too tired from the journey and fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed.

Percy's surrounding shift as he finds himself in a familiar building. He is smoking cigarette as his eyes are on the road from which the convoy is to pass.

"Fire on anything that moves, civilians have been evacuated all you will encounter will be Taliban Fighters," He hears his order.

He readies his Sniper rifle as he checks the surrounding for any ambush attackers. Percy almost finds himself falling asleep due to his lack of activity, until he suddenly senses a movement in the building opposite to his. He fires without thinking twice. Sound of the window pane being broken echoes around the silent street. The movement stops, it is a hit.

He carefully moves towards his victim, he smashes the door into the room. Suddenly he could not breathe, he finds his heart stop.

Lying before him is a dead Annabeth. He finds his body shaking.

"Percy Please," He hears Piper almost sobbing as she hustles him awake.

"It's alright, It's alright Perce," She hugs him tightly, comforting him. Percy is not alright.

* * *

"So inside the rage,

Against the dying of light"

Percy has always dealt with his nightmares with quite success. He has refused to see a therapist after his return home from Afghanistan. He refused to see one even after his brother, Jason's death. But Annabeth was always with him, she was only constant in his life, through school, college, marriage and even when he was away at war. She was his connection to reality, his anchor. Without her he found himself fading away in the river current.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Piper offers as she watches him silently seated on the couch, staring at the wall.

Percy is not totally opposed to the idea.

* * *

"So live life like you're giving up  
'Cause you act like you are"

Percy is surprised when Piper hands him a knife.

"Do it, you aren't living anyway," She says sternly, appearing quite intimidating to him.

"What do you expect me to do?" Percy yells at her, his rage taking control of him. She shivers and is visibly taken aback from Percy's reaction.

Percy realises his mistake and hugs her tightly, soon finding her arms wrapped around him too.

"I'm Sorry," He says softly into her ear.

"It's alright to cry Perce, tears remind us we are alive," Piper says sobbing into his shoulder.

So he cries like he never has into her shoulder. He is alive and won't give up. He knows he will never walk alone as long as he has Piper. He vows to change the world for better, for Jason, for Annabeth.

Because when a man cries, it makes him stronger.

* * *

**A/N: I hope this is not to depressing,last few months have been really hard on me and yeah I actually wrote this up to sum up my frustrations,reviews and criticism are welcomed, and thanks to herecomesthepun(check out her stories,they are awesome). Based on Ed sheeran song: Even my Dad does sometimes**

* * *

"Jananam Sukhadam Maranam Karunam,

Milanam Madhuram,Smaranam Karunam,

Kalavashadiha Sakalam Karunam,

Samyadhipateh Akhilam Karunam"

Birth is joyful, death a sorrow  
To consort is joyful, to be left with memories is sorrowful  
In the inevitable flow of time, everything turns sorrowful, (for the individual, not for the cosmic order)  
In the kingdom of the Lord of time, the end is appropriately sorrowful.

(P.S- I do not believe too strongly in god,but i also do not deny any existence..I also do not follow any saint or guru...I read this mantra and it really touched me,therefore i justed wanted to share..)


End file.
